


The Fountain of Cute

by SelanPike



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures, Problem Sleuth (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Stabdads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-07
Updated: 2012-05-07
Packaged: 2017-11-05 00:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/399892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelanPike/pseuds/SelanPike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She really was cheerful, all the time, and her cheer was infectious. Here she was, running around the park with Droog’s often-serious daughter, Aradia, and the both of them were laughing and having fun. It was such a nice thing to see. Inspector sat a little ways away, on a park bench, smiling to himself.</p>
<p>Maybe he wasn’t such a lousy father after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fountain of Cute

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god it's in third-person past tense.
> 
> Here’s my thought process:
> 
> There needs to be more Sleuthdads fics with PI and Nepeta ==> And maybe DD should be there too since I only write DD/PI anyway amirite ==> Aww gosh Nepeta and Aradia can roleplay and have fun together it’d be great.

            There were moments when Pickle Inspector was glad that he adopted his daughter. He wouldn’t claim to be a good father—in fact, he spent most of his time these days berating himself for this or that misstep. He honestly didn’t understand how Nepeta could be as cheerful as she always was with a father as useless as he.

            But that’s just the thing. She really was cheerful, all the time, and her cheer was infectious. Here she was, running around the park with Droog’s often-serious daughter, Aradia, and the both of them were laughing and having fun. It was such a nice thing to see. Inspector sat a little ways away, on a park bench, smiling to himself.

            Maybe he wasn’t such a lousy father after all.

            He heard footsteps approaching. He looked over to see Diamonds Droog walking along the path towards him. Inspector raised a hand and waved to him. Droog nodded in greeting as he approached.

            “Sorry I’m late,” he said.

            “I-it’s no bother,” Inspector replied.

            “Thank you for picking Aradia up from school,” Droog said. “I would have hated for her to have to wait so long alone.”

            “A-again, it’s no t-trouble,” Inspector insisted. “Sh-she’s been very well be-behaved.”

            Droog nodded, then looked up at the girls. “What are they doing?”

            “They’re… they’re on an archeological survey to discover the fountain of cute.”

            Droog frowned. “They’re playing in the dirt.”

            “A-archeology requires a f-fair bit of digging, after all,” Inspector explained.

            “Her clothes are ruined.”

            “I—I’m sure they’ll wash out.” Inspector scooted over, making room on the bench. “Why—why don’t you sit down?”

            Droog sat, but continued to stare at the children. “Your daughter is crawling around. Like an _animal_.”

            Inspector nodded, smiling cheerfully. “Yes! She—she’s roleplaying. As a cat. S-so cute.”

            “She’s—“

            “G-getting dirty. Of course.” Inspector chuckled as Nepeta pounced on Aradia. “They’re having fun. Di—didn’t you ever get dirty wh-when you played with your friends as a k-kid?”

            “No.”

            Inspector sighed. When dirty clothes were involved, there was no reasoning with Droog. Inspector stood up, straightening out his clothes in a futile attempt to look a little less rumpled than usual, then said, “Per-perhaps it’s getting a little late.”

            “Yes,” Droog agreed, also standing. “We should be getting home.”

            “Oh, oh, yes, but um.” Inspector pulled at his sleeve. “Or! Or. We could take them for, um… for ice cream.”

            “She has homework,” Droog said.

            “She’ll h-have time to finish it,” Inspector insisted. “D-don’t you—you think Aradia would enjoy a—a little more time with her friend?”

            Inspector, for the most part, considered Droog to be a perfect parent. He provided Aradia with a good, stable home life, and she never wanted for anything. Despite his wealth he was wise enough to avoid spoiling her, he made sure she did all her homework and even paid for the most expensive tutors to make sure she was always ahead of her classmates. Aradia was smart, well-mannered and cultured. The only criticism Inspector had was that Droog never let her have fun.

            Well, Inspector would also argue that Droog never let himself have fun, either. In fact, between Crew business and taking care of Aradia, Droog hardly found time to see Inspector anymore.

            “And also…” Inspector added. “I—I would enjoy, um… some more time with you.”

            Droog paused, considering. “I suppose they can do their homework while eating ice cream.”

            “Yes! Y-yes. Perfect.”

            Droog turned to face the children and shouted. “Aradia! Nepeta! We’re going for ice cream.”

            The girls cheered and ran up, grinning and covered in mud and grass. Droog tried not to cringe.

            “Sorry for the dirt, daddy,” Aradia said, ever thoughtful. “But we were at the cusp of a major archeological discovery!”

            “D-did you find anything?” Inspector asked, crouching down to speak with the children at eye level.

            Aradia shook her head. “Not the fountain, unfortunately.”

            “But we disco _fur_ ed some fascinating artifacts!” Nepeta proclaimed, holding out her hands. She had two bottlecaps and a shiny rock.

            Inspector ruffled her hair. “Th-that’s my girl. I’m sure… sure this will lead to even greater d-discoveries.”

            Nepeta purred. Aradia looked up expectantly at her father, smiling. “What do you think, daddy?”

            Droog, with his abysmal Imagination characteristic, was uncomfortable with playing along. “… Very good. Shall we be going?”

            “Yeah!” Nepeta jumped up and down, excited. “Kitties love ice cream!”

            Inspector chuckled as he stood back up, took Nepeta’s hand and started walking. Droog and Aradia followed alongside them. “But not chocolate, right?”

            “Right.” Nepeta said with mock-gravity. “It’s poison for a cat, after all.”

            “But cake batter is fine, isn’t it?” Aradia asked.

            “Cake batter is _purr_ fect!” Nepeta said.

            The four of them went to the ice cream shop. Soon, the girls were eating ice cream adorned with various toppings, while Aradia explained to Nepeta how to multiply fractions. Droog and Inspector sat at a different table, sharing a banana split. Inspector was eating most of it.

            “It’s s-so nice to see our girls getting along so w-well,” Inspector said.

            “Hmm.”

            “I—I was thinking, maybe, um, we could do this m-more often,” Inspector said. “Have th-the girls play together.”

            “Or study together,” Droog suggested.

            “Oh, yes. Yes, that would be good too.” Inspector nodded. “And… and then we could… s-see each other more often, perhaps…”

            Droog nodded. “On one condition.”

            “Y-yes?”

            “My daughter will not continue to play in the dirt,” Droog said.

            Inspector poked at the ice cream with his spoon. “H-how about… I’ll let her wear s-some of Nepeta’s clothes when they play. S-so her good clothes don’t get dirty.”

            Droog took a deep breath. “I… suppose that’s acceptable.”

            Inspector smiled. He held out a spoonful of ice cream, which Droog begrudgingly ate.


End file.
